Velika Djulica
1,492 m
Serbia
Also known as Велика ЂулицаAlso known as
Велика Ђулица
- Elevation
- 1,492 m
- Prominence
- 1,104 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 2
Summit not accessible
The summit is a fenced military installation; walkers turn back at the fence or visit the neighbouring top of Pogled.
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Routes
2A long forest walk from the spa town of Ribarska Banja (about 600 m) up the Srndaljska valley and through beech forest to Pogled (1,481 m), the TV-transmitter top of Veliki Jastrebac, then along the ridge track towards Velika Đulica. The highest point is a fenced military installation and is not open to the public; Pogled is the usual objective.
This route ends at Mala Đulica, about 990 m from the summit, which is not accessible. Distance, ascent and times are to that point.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 11.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,068 m
- −128 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,477 m
- Time Up
- 5h 13m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 05m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Ribarska Banja follow the asphalt and then the track along the Srndaljska river; after about 20 minutes turn left onto a narrow forest path, cross a field at the forest edge and continue on a track between meadows (with views to Rtanj and Suva Planina) and forest. The marked path crosses the wide forest road from the Grebac pass several times and reaches a forestry house after about 3¼ hours. Continue about 30 minutes to join the road to Pogled (1,481 m), whose RTS transmitter is reached in another 20–30 minutes. Allow about 4½ hours up and 3 hours down by the same route. From Pogled a gravel road follows the main ridge north-west past Mala Đulica (1,429 m) to Velika Đulica (about 1,491 m), roughly 2 km away. The summit carries antennas and buildings of a military installation, and hiking and tourism sources state that access is not permitted; walkers stay outside the perimeter. The whole mountain is densely forested, with few views except from Pogled; keep to the markings.
Start
Ribarska Banja483 m
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Ribarska Banja483 m
- Shoulder: Pogled1,476 m
RTS transmitter; the usual hikers' summit
- Shoulder: Mala Đulica1,423 m
not on route line
- Waypoint: Mala Đulica1,423 m
Summit not accessible beyond this point
Key Passages
- Forest path above the Srndaljska valley
- Ridge road from Pogled to Velika Đulica
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 50%Overview
The highest point of Jastrebac (about 1,491 m), a long, densely forested ridge between Kruševac, Prokuplje and Niš in central Serbia. The summit itself is a fenced military installation, so walkers aim for neighbouring Pogled (1,481 m) and its wide views.
Jastrebac is a 30 km long ridge of Palaeozoic schist and igneous rock, separated from Kopaonik by the Janko gorge, and divided by the Grebac pass into Veliki and Mali Jastrebac. Velika Đulica is the highest point of Veliki Jastrebac, with Pogled (1,481 m), Mala Đulica (1,429 m), Stracimir (1,394 m) and Zmajevac (1,381 m) along the same crest, which forms the watershed between the Toplica valley and the Morava basin.
The mountain is one of the most forested in Serbia — mostly beech, with conifers and a reserve of white birch — and is rich in springs and streams. Views are rare until the crest; Pogled, with its RTS television transmitter, gives the panorama the mountain is known for, from the Šar mountains to Rtanj and Stara Planina. Velika Đulica carries the antennas and buildings of a military installation and is closed to the public.
The usual bases are the spa town of Ribarska Banja on the east side and the Ravnište resort with the Žarko Žarić mountain hut above Kruševac on the north side. Routes are long forest walks of 900–1,000 m of ascent on marked paths and forestry roads, without technical difficulty.
Climbing Notes
Expect a full day: about 4½ hours up and 3 hours down from Ribarska Banja to Pogled, plus the ridge walk towards Velika Đulica. Carry a map or GPS track — the forest is dense, tracks cross the marked paths frequently, and local hikers warn against leaving the markings. Do not enter the military area on the summit or photograph its installations. The Žarko Žarić hut (PK Jastrebac) at Ravnište and hotels at Ravnište and Ribarska Banja make convenient bases.
History
The Jastrebac ridge once formed the border between Serbia and the Ottoman Empire. The mountain features in Dobrica Ćosić's novel 'Daleko je sunce' (1951) about the Rasina partisan detachment, which operated here in the Second World War.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Snow on the ridge; forest roads may be impassable
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Snowmelt, muddy tracks
- Apr
- Spring forest; possible late snow on the crest
- May
- Good walking
- Jun
- Good walking
- Jul
- Warm; shaded forest; thunderstorms
- Aug
- Warm; shaded forest
- Sep
- Good walking
- Oct
- Autumn colours
- Nov
- Short days, first snow
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Contact PK Jastrebac (Kruševac) for the Žarko Žarić mountain hut at Ravnište.
- Rules
- The summit of Velika Đulica is a fenced military installation; public access is not permitted. Do not enter or photograph the military facilities
- Large parts of Veliki Jastrebac are fenced hunting grounds; follow the marked paths
- Getting There
Kruševac (also Ribarska Banja and Prokuplje)
Niš Constantine the Great Airport (INI)
- Ribarska Banja: on the Kruševac–Prokuplje road over the Grebac pass
- Ravnište / Žarko Žarić hut: 22 km by paved road from Kruševac
Hazards
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
1- 521 m
Planinarski dom Žarko ŽarićHut